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Hi, Pookie: Why Women Nickname The Men They Date

The Atlantic Monthly recently ran a very entertaining article on why women give nicknames to the men they date. The author explained that she and her girlfriends often share every little detail about dating, but fail to share the most intimate detail — the man's name. For these women, not revealing the man's real name worked like a hedge against potential heartbreak and the possibility that he might "ghost," as they called it, or disappear quickly. When a guy would stop calling, having not used his name made it easier to laugh off and let go — an interesting strategy to hold off giving your heart away before you know he's a "keeper".

Memories of my own dating journey flooded to mind as I learned that other women do this same thing, but for different reasons than I used to. You see, having dated 30 men in 15 months to find my adorable husband, I started relying on nicknames to more easily communicate details to my friends. Sharing every juicy drop was a huge part of the fun and excitement of my dating escapades to find love, but at times, I juggled several men simultaneously, not knowing who would drop out or who would continue to pursue me. As such, my girlfriends had great difficulty keeping track of my dates — who did what for a living, personality characteristics, where they lived, etc. The game changer was when I started dating three guys all named John! That was why I began creating nicknames for my dates: Nicknames helped me capture a guy's essence to quickly convey whom I was talking about and eliminate confusion in my romance updates.

Now back to the Atlantic. The article's author and her friends, used a variety of methods to create the nicknames, including where they met, family heritage, physical characteristics and personality type. They had some very funny code names like "The Meatball" for a chubby Italian guy, and sometimes more obvious like "The Brit" or "Hot Gym Guy."

Mine were not nearly as creative, focusing more on career. For example, the last two guys I dated were "The Postman" and "Golf Boy," because my now husband worked at a country club/golf course when we met. However, some people use nicknames to show affection. Pet names are terms of endearment demonstrating the loving connection growing between two people. Keep reading ...

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1. He's not a douche about being in shape.

Look, Chris Evans has a great body. Most importantly, though, is that he's not a jerk about it. He doesn't walk around shirtless, unless it's in a completely appropriate situation. You don't have to worry about him flashing his abs to your mom, but if that shirt does come off for whatever reason, she'll still be impressed.

Photo: Disney / Marvel

2. He makes dangerous stuff look adorable.

Girls want a bad boy, moms want a teddy bear. Well guess what? Chris Evans is a bad teddy bear. But, not in a dirty way. Unless you want it dirty. Chris Evans is here for you!

Photo: Disney / Marvel

3. Chris Evans cleans up really nicely.

You want your mom to see a guy at his best, and Chris Evans at his best looks like America personified. If your mom doesn't appreciate that, then she's a terrorist and she should be in jail.

Photo: Disney / Marvel

4. He's active!

He knows how to swim, how to throw stuff, how to fight. Your mom will love his various skills. He can definitely take care of you.

Photo: Disney / Marvel

5. Chris Evans hangs out with classy broads.

Is it offensive to call a dame a broad? Either way, those are the types of ladies that Chris Evans associates with. You don't have to worry about sketchy ex-girlfriends showing up and ruining everything.

Photo: Disney / Marvel

6. Chris Evans stands up to jerks!

Your mom wants a guy who will protect you. Not just from bears and stuff like that, but also a man who protects your honor. If some guy is being a jerk, and Chris Evans is around, then you've got nothing to worry about.

Photo: Disney / Marvel

7. He's got great health insurance.

Chris Evans is rich and famous. He financially stable, so you know he's got the health insurance that covers all the luxurious stuff. Like mud baths.

Photo: Disney / Marvel

8. Chris Evans looks good in uniform.

If there's one thing moms love, it's a man in uniform. Even if the uniform is just a costume, they still love it. Chris Evans only wears uniforms in his personal life (from what I hear, which may be wrong).

Photo: Disney / Marvel

9. He's got impressive friends.

Chris Evans hangs out with cool people, but even around cool people, he still looks like the boss. There's nothing more impressive than that.

Photo: Disney / Marvel

10. Chris Evans is dedicated.

You don't get a body like that by accident. If you could, they wouldn't call them accidents, they'd call them miracles.

Photo: Disney / Marvel

11. Chris Evans is a true gentleman.

My girlfriend can't look at this photo of Betty White and Chris Evans without crying because everything about it is perfect.

Photo: YouTube

Look, Chris Evans has a great body. Most importantly, though, is that he's not a jerk about it. He doesn't walk around shirtless, unless it's in a completely appropriate situation. You don't have to worry about him flashing his abs to your mom, but if that shirt does come off for whatever reason, she'll still be impressed.